UPCOMING EVENTS

Google launched Poly in early November as a way for developers to find 3D assets for their virtual reality and augmented reality projects. Today, it’s releasing the Poly API to streamline the process of including those assets.

Poly has a library of creative commons 3D objects and scenes, and folks can also upload assets they’ve made using Google’s VR creation tools Blocks and Tilt Brush. You could also feasibly upload models you’ve created with a tool outside the Google ecosystem, such as Oculus’s Medium, since the Poly library accepts standard object and material file types.

Once a developer has found an asset they’d like to use, the new Poly Toolkit enables them to quickly import it into Unity and Unreal Engine projects. Google has created sample projects for ARCore and ARKit as examples to get developers started.

Users can search through the Poly library using filters such as keywords and date updated, as well as by model complexity. It’s not the only resource for VR and AR assets. For instance, the Unity Asset Store has a number of 3D models as well as scripts for things like camera movement. Some marketplaces, such as CGTrader, also sell 3D models. However, everything in the Poly library is free.